Fire Emblem: The Lion's Blade 34 Chapter 34: Lost And Found

"Ninian!" I shout out looking for the girl. 'How'd we even lose her in these woods… I should really get Eliwood to keep a closer eye on her.' Stepping over a fallen tree I see the blue-haired girl running towards a building.

I rush up behind her and stop her in her tracks. "Ninian, why are you running?" I say looking at her. I look over to Ike and motion him to gather everyone else.

"…This place… I feel as if I know it… It's… very familiar." She says looking up at me with hazy eyes.

--

(Flashback)

A man wearing purple robes is looking over two blue-haired children. He pushes them inside the house and points towards some food. "You hide and wait here. There's food and water in this pack… If you ration yourselves, it should last about ten days." He says looking at the two children with a soft smile.

"…What about you? Are you going away?" The young Ninian says to the man.

The man looks at the two with the same soft smile. "Daddy has to go to Aenir… I'm going to get Mommy."

"Mommy? Where is she?" Ninian questions her father.

"Some bad men took her away. They can't have gone very far, though. I have to go after them and save Mommy. You wait ten days… If Daddy's not back by then, take your brother and go to the other side. You're a clever girl, Ninian, you know the way, right?" The man says patting their heads.

"…Daddy…" Ninian says before her younger brother starts tearing up.

"Daddy… Don't go…" Nils says to the man.

"You're good children. Both of you. I'll come for you. I'll be back…" The man says as he leaves the house.

(Flashback Ends)

--

"Percival! Is Ninian well?" Eliwood shouts over to me.

"She's just in a bit of a daze. She says she knows about this place." I respond back to him seeing Ninian going back into her mind for a moment.

"Why would she be familiar with anything on the Dread Isle?" Hector says from the side.

"…It's a very old building. It must have been abandoned for centuries…" Eliwood says looking at it.

"What about the Dragon's Gate? We're way off course now." Hector adds in trying to hurry us along.

"This might restore Ninian's memory! Try and be a little patient!" Lyn says walking over to Ninian.

"Listen, aren't we in a bit of a hurry here? While we're wasting time your father could be-" Hector gets cut off by Eliwood.

"It's OK, Hector. Let's see what happens." Eliwood says walking towards the building and Ninian.
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"He's too nice for his own good. You agree with me, right, Percival?" Hector says before looking towards the house and seeing a robed figure leaving it.

'Teodor…' I think to myself recognizing him.' Knowing him he won't be able to recognize me since I'm not going to lead him to the power he wants…'

The robed figure looks at Ninian and Eliwood and his eyes do not leave them.

"h.e.l.lo…" He says looking at them.

"Do you live here?" Looking at him suspiciously Hector asks.

"No, I'm a simple traveler. I was walking in the woods and became tired. I was resting here. This building… It's been empty for a long time." Teodor says his eyes moving slightly to Hector.

"Really? I think we'll take a rest here as well. Is that all right?" Hector continues his suspicion still on the man.

"Yes, of course." Teodor responds.

"What is this place?" Eliwood asks him.

"It's a ruin from the Scouring… The residence of a dark sorcerer. I've found several ancient tomes here. Fascinating stuff… If I can unlock their secrets, I can move closer to the darkness. From what I've gather so far, I must make further reparations." Teodor says going into a rapid verbal a.s.sault. Something he often used to do with me to teach me magic.

"Reparations?" Eliwood asks him.

"Yes. It's the fate of those who study dark magic. If you covet the dark, you must enter it of your own free will. You must erase yourself and become an empty vessel. Only then will you be able to receive the dark and master it. If your disposition is weak, the dark will overwhelm you. You will be… lost… Ofttimes, you will forget why you seek the power to begin with. Only a few people ever gain true power. To win such a prize, one's self is a small and insignificant sacrifice." Teodor explains the path of dark magic. His eyes leaving Eliwood and looking towards Canas and I. "It appears you have two capable of using the magic…" His eyes looking at me blankly. No spark, the old Teodor clearly gone.

"I've heard rumors… Bramimond, one of the eight legends, devoted himself entirely to the dark. All emotions, all memory… dissolved in a river of dark. That is how he received the power to best dragons." He says his eyes locked on mine.

I move towards him as the rest are shocked by his statements.

"I don't understand. Why would anyone want power at the cost of his own ident.i.ty?" Eliwood mumbles to himself.

" 'I must have it at any cost.' I believe every living soul has felt such desire. I know I have. I know for certain you have Percival… As for you Lord Eliwood of Pherae… Have you not had that desire?"

"What?!?" Eliwood shouts reaching for his blade while the rest of the group grab theirs. Upon reaching for their weapons the a.s.sault begins.

"Your exhaustion is convenient… I, Teodor, lay claim to the deed of killing the young n.o.ble of Pherae and the traitor of the Black Fang…" He lets out a sigh and mumbles something to himself. "When I'm done, I will examine this building's treasures at my leis-" Before he finishes speaking a sword finds it's way through his throat.

"Sorry, Teodor… You're too far gone to even think about joining us… Your pursuit of power was your end." I whisper to him and pull my blade out of his throat. The rest of the Black Fang continue their a.s.sault on our group.

I turn to look towards the group and notice Ninian gone again. 'We'll find her after the fight…'

I dash off into battle with the Black Fang.

…

After a few minutes the battle ends with no casualties. Looking over everyone to see if anyone was wounded, I've noticed a few of our members getting closer to each other. Letting a small smile show on my face I enter Nergal's old home. Entering it I walk over to the room with the door fully open. Inside is Ninian staring at a painting. One of a dragon and a human. Instead of the two fighting the figures seem to be standing side by side.

"Ninian…" I say trying to get her attention.

She gets out of her daze of staring at the picture and turns to me. "Yes… I'm sorry for the trouble…" She says with a bow.

"No problem at all. If you're ready, we should continue our journey to Dragon's Gate." I say with a gentle smile.

"I… still don't remember anything…" She mumbles out. "But that picture…"

"It's fine if you don't remember anything. Don't push yourself." I say walking out of the library and reuniting with the group. Ninian following close behind me.

We continue our journey to the Dragon's Gate.

--

(Inside the Home after an hour)

A purple robed man with a bandana covering his eye appears in the library of the house.

"What is this place?" He says looking around. "I was supposed to be at the Dragon's Gate. Why am I here?" He moves towards the books. He clutches his head as his hand moves towards the books. "Ah… Now I remember. I was here a long, long time ago… During the Scouring… This… I left something valuable here…"

His head still clutched in his hands as he tries to force himself to remember, but the pain is too much for him. "It must not be worth much if I never bothered returning for it." He says stopping himself from thinking on the subject. "I have power now. Nothing else matters. I will open the Dragon's Gate and get even more power… The power to defeat anyone. Power…" He continues mumbling to himself as he teleports out of the building.